Quick turnaround for Sandy

A PUBLISHER was so impressed with a Bundaberg author's manuscript that it has been published within three months - just in time for Australian women's crime-writing convention SheKilda.

Writer Sandy Curtis's latest crime romance offering, Fatal Flaw, is being published by Clan Destine Press, whose owner, Lindy Cameron, is also a member of Sisters-in-Crime, the convention's organisers - meaning there was an extra incentive for the book to be ready in time.

"In the publishing world, the normal turnaround from reading a manuscript to the release of the book is normally eight months to two years, but Lindy read Fatal Flaw, loved it, and decided it just had to be available at the convention," she said.

"So she charged ahead and, within three months, the book has reached publication."

Mrs Curtis said the fact the book would be published in time for SheKilda was "miraculous".

"(Lindy) is a woman after my own heart," she said.

"You just get in and do it, and so there it is in just three months."

Mrs Curtis said readers of her previous books would recognise the main character, Mark Talbert, as the secret operative who was shot at the end of her fifth book, Dangerous Deception.

"I gave him such a hard time in Dangerous Deception that I decided to give him his own story in Fatal Flaw, but as it turned out he's copped a rough time in that too," she said.

"His father is murdered, he has to use the woman he loves to get close to her father, who is suspected of

consorting with terrorists, and a killer is taking revenge for a decades-old crime."

Mrs Curtis said she would organise a local book signing in the near future.

"I'd love to do a talk in future months about the journey of a book from manuscript to publication, as I know so many readers are unaware of the process that takes place to get that story from loose sheets of paper to a finished book," she said.

The author will also be on two panels at SheKilda, including State of Play, in which writers discuss what makes their state unique for crime.

"As the Queensland author, I'll be delighted to highlight the fantastic locations our state offers," she said.

Fatal Flaw will be available late next week at Dymocks bookstores, while Clan Destine Press will also soon publish Mrs Curtis's previous works as e-books.